The Biblical Form of Evangelism, Discipleship and the Method of Efficiently Extending The
EVANGELICAL BIBLE COLLEGE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
TRACT.
BIBLICAL MISSIONARY TRAINING
by
DR PETER MOSES
[BOOK 151]
MAY 2000
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIBLICALLY BASED TRAINING OF GRASSROOT CHRISTIANS
DR PETER MOSES - EVANGELICAL BIBLE COLLEGE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
INTRODUCTION
The Biblical form of training, evangelism, discipleship and the method of efficiently extending the spread of Christianity is well illustrated in 1 Thessalonians 1 which will form the Scriptural basis for this article
I will also draw on my experience in various countries regarding the equipping of the saints. We should always remember that we are all brethren serving a risen Lord. In addition we should recognise that the time we have on earth is limited and we need to be effective Christians.
INTRODUCING THE GRASSROOTS TRAINING TEAM - Verse 1
1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The training of grassroots level workers is one of the most critical responsibilities for the Christian Church. It needs to be remembered that the lack of evangelism and training of people in North Africa and especially at the rural grass roots level in the early centuries led to the complete demise of Christianity in that area
In verse 1 we are introduced to Paul the teacher, Silas the singer and Timothy the apprentice who are all involved in indigenous evangelism.
WORKING WITH THE INDIGENOUS OR GRASS ROOTS WORKER
The method they used was to teach their indigenous converts. As a result the indigenous people went themselves and evangelised and taught their own indigenous people and become missionaries themselves.
This is the true Biblical method of teaching and evangelism, a method which involves the grass roots and allows all to develop their spiritual gifts.
It also demonstrates the fact that all members of the human race are at the most distant cousins all having a common family at the time of the flood. It also illustrates our equality in Christ. We are members of the same team. Many have teaching gifts which need to be developed to the glory of God.
Indigenous evangelism, teaching and missionary work has huge advantages. The indigenous believers know all the customs and protocol in their societies. They also know the various dialects so that the transfer of Biblical knowledge from one to the next can take place most efficiently.
USE OF WRITTEN MATERIAL
I have found that even though I speak English as do many people around the world my Australian accent is an additional hurdle that the new non Australian English speaking convert or motivated student has to cope with.
This points to the huge advantage of using printed material to assist in giving the message out where people who cannot readily understand the spoken language can understand the message if it is given to them in a written form.
The other advantage is that written material is always with them, you are not.
TRANSLATIONS
In some cases the translation of concepts from one culture to another may be very difficult. It is of the utmost importance that the written material is translated not only by word but by reflecting the correct concepts
As an example in 1998 I spent eight days with my translator in the Ukraine going through a 280 page book of doctrines line by line in order that the book could be translated accurately into the Russian language.
On a number of occasions during this time period the translator would say that there was no comparable word in the Russian and we would then discuss the concepts behind the doctrine. The translator would then express the doctrine accurately but in the Russian context.
As a result of this intensive work a well accepted book of Bible topics was produced in Russian to help Christians in the Russian speaking area.
LIMITED TRAINING PERIOD
Paul visited Thessalonica and spent a relatively short time with them. He preached the gospel and a few were converted.
These he instructed in a very wide range of doctrines during this short period. This is indicated in Paul’s statements where he recognises those areas that the Thessalonians already knew about.
We should notice that these people whom Paul praised and so dearly loved did not undertake a three year degree course. It was a short and intense course. This does not decry the person with formal qualifications but does indicate that the intense shorter training method can be highly effective.
Many believe Paul was at Thessalonica for perhaps six weeks or so. The converts were instructed in an intensive teaching form until the teacher moved on.
Thus the method adopted by the Pauline missionary team was that they would go in and declare the gospel to a group. As a result some would believe and they would then be trained and equipped for field work.
This type of evangelism and discipleship was in general ignored by European missionary societies in the past. They relied more on the missionaries to undertake continual evangelism and heading up the evangelised people rather than equipping the indigenous or native people.
Here again we see the importance of follow up, evangelism is of course essential but to be effective the converts must be fed so that they can not only give the gospel to others but those with a teaching gift can help others to grow.
Paul having trained the converts helped them to organise their church, for it to be self supporting with indigenous leaders responsible for it. The church was self governing and self propagating.
It has been said that if Paul’s method of using the indigenous had been used by western mission societies in China the Communist take-over of that country in 1949 would quite likely not occurred.
The current problem encountered in many Third World countries today is that there are in many cases a significantly number of believers but they have not grown because they have not been fed.
They should be on the solid food of the Word of God but because they have not been taught they do not grow.
PRAYER SUPPORT FOR THE GROWING BELIEVERS - 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
Thanksgiving - [Eucharisto Gk] in verse 2 is in the present active indicative first person plural with the present tense showing continuous action and the indicative mood showing the reality of the thanks. It is Paul plus his colleagues giving thanks as shown in the first person plural.
Prayer is an appropriate follow up for indigenous evangelism. We should pray for those we have evangelised. In Romans 1:8 Paul gives thanks through Christ Jesus for all the believers in Rome whose faith has been spoken of throughout the ancient world
There has been an example of a prayer list on papyrus coming down from the ancient world. Perhaps Paul had a prayer list of converts in Thessalonica which he read over with Silas and Timothy.
It is important to be consistent and persistent in our prayers for the saints to whom we have ministered.
In verse 3 Paul tells them they remember the Thessalonians in three areas
STAGES IN THE BELIEVER’S LIFE
The stages of the believers life are given in verse 3 and are expanded in verses 9 and 10
Stage 1 - The work of faith - salvation - is to turn to God from idols.[v 9 c.f. John 6:28,29]
Stage 2 - The labour of love - the Christian walk - is to serve the living and true God [v 9]
Stage 3 - The patience of hope - expectation of heaven - is to wait for His Son from heaven [v 10 c.f. Matthew 24:42, Acts 1:11, Philippians 3:20,21]
These concepts are paralleled in Titus 2:11-13
v11 "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men."
v 12 -Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
v 13 - Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
The word "kopos" meaning labour has an implication that the labour has been hard. Phrases such as beating of the breast with grief, sorrow, intense labour united with trouble and toil are implied.
In order for the Thessalonians to advance in their Christian life to an extent that they are well rounded and solidly based believers intensive teaching needs to have been given and received.
This teaching has to be given and received under the power of the Holy Spirit. Divine provision is a reality but it only becomes real to us as we recognise it. This is seen in the next two verses.
THE GOSPEL AND THE THESSALONIANS - verses 4-5
4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. 5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
The epistle is addressed to brethren, Paul recognised that this was to people who had been born again.
If you are going to help the human race you need to pass on the gospel. The giving of the gospel is in the passive voice which shows that even when one gives out the gospel you require the power of the Holy Spirit for it to be effective.
It is implied by the surrounding verses that the information given to the Thessalonians was not only the gospel or good news of salvation. It also incorporated the good news contained in the doctrines and promises of God. This intensive teaching regime allowed the Thessalonians to mature quickly into effective missionaries to serve in other areas of ancient Greece which is shown in the final verses in this chapter.
THE RESPONSE OF THE THESSALONIANS - verses 6-10
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. 7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
The grass roots training team led by Paul was highly effective working with keen young believers to such an extent that a large area in northern Greece did not need to be ministered to by the original training team. This important area was ministered to in a highly effective manner by the trained "grass roots workers", the Thessalonians.
The area covered by the Thessalonians comprised Macedonia a country bounded on the south by Thessaly and Epirus, on the east by Thrace and the Aegean Sea, on the west by Illyria, and on the north by Dardania and Moesia and Achaia a Roman province embracing all Greece except Thessaly
In verse 6 the word "followers" means imitators in the Greek.
"Of us and of the Lord" is in the aorist tense which means that in a point of time they became imitators. That was the point of time when they received Bible information.
Paul and his colleagues found no Christians in Thessalonica so he preached the gospel and a number were converted and he trained them. When Paul, Silas and Timothy left the converts organised it into a church.
Having trained a group Paul would move on. However he would send people such as Titus back to them to further guide and teach them. This gave encouragement and allowed for further training
The word translated "ensample" in verse 7 means example. It is in the singular meaning the system as a whole rather than in the plural which would apply to all the Thessalonians involved..
Paul therefore says of the Thessalonians that they were a blue print, pattern or mould of what a church ought to be. He said that they were examples to others in Macedonia [Northern Greece] and Achaia [Southern Greece]. We should therefore study this church and be encouraged by the effective way in which they responded.
SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY SEMINARS
Theology by its very name forms the basis of our knowledge of God. For the teaching of grass roots workers such teaching should be in a practical form.
The Systematic Theology course which we at the Evangelical Bible College of Western Australia prepared for intensive seminars involved the presenter reviewing texts from the Bible and relevant Bible topics from the book supplied and presenting a message on a facet of Systematic Theology to their peers.
To maximise the benefit of the presentations and due to the limited preparation time involved for the students I made myself available to answer any questions on the topic they had presented. This allowed them to effectively present their subject in their own English dialect or their own language whilst I was able at times to add further insight and amplify the understanding of the delegates
At the end of the course the participants retained the book which, together with a Bible, would enable a grass roots worker to present in this case a 75 hour course to his own assembly.
LUSAKA ZAMBIA COURSE 1999
As a personal example I conducted the intensive ten day course in Systematic Theology in Lusaka, Zambia Africa in 1999. The course which involved 75 hours of teaching was given to some 90 pastors and teachers.
After the course, using the written material provided participants from the course ran their own intensive course in Kasama, Zambia and was preparing to go to the neighbouring country of Mozambique to teach an intensive course there when disastrous floods came.
By 2003 the learning centres in Zambia which are totally autonomous had seen 7 students with two year Diplomas in Theology and some 30 with Certificates in Theology from our college.
In addition the course had been exported to Tanzania to the north of Zambia on the initiative of the Zambians alone.
PHILLIPINES - 2000
In 2000 I travelled to the Philippines and in three weeks presented three five day intensive seminars to 130 brethren. In some cases the presentation was in the presenters own language.
By working with the book the participants became confident presenters allowing for the start of a Thessalonian type outreach.
The format of the training course can therefore be used in an English speaking or other language format.
The translation of the written material again is a function of the motivation of the indigenous Christians. Some of our material has been translated into Russian, Maharati, Spanish and Urdu so that those language groups can benefit from the material.
THE EFFECT OF GRASS ROOTS MISSIONARIES
In verse 8 we see that missionary activity is the result of receiving the Word of God. In Acts 17:6 we see Paul and his associates turning the world upside down. The Thessalonians now did this.
They were ministering in every place wherever they went. Paul says that the Thessalonians "faith to godward" is spread abroad. They were getting a reputation for evangelism. With this reputation Paul says that he does not need to say anything. He could concentrate his attentions in other unreached areas.
When Paul goes to various cities on subsequent missionary journeys he found believers there. He therefore did not need to preach the gospel as the Thessalonians had already done so and people had been converted under their ministry. Paul therefore met his spiritual grandchildren and great grandchildren due to his effective ministry at Thessalonica.
In verse 9 is given the personal testimony of Paul’s grandchildren and great grand children. The word report is in the present active indicative which means that they keep on reporting. They report how Paul went to Thessalonica and a number were converted who went to the next city and others were converted who went to another region and others were converted who knew that the gospel had come from Paul originally.
The Thessalonians also have their priorities right. They serve the true and living God. Anything which is placed before the Lord is an idol. In 1 Corinthians 12:2 Paul reminds the Corinthians that they should remember that they were Gentiles carried away with dumb idols before they were led to the truth
The final verse in this chapter relates to another factor that made it a great church. This was that they did not ignore prophecy. To wait is in the present active infinitive, it is constantly part of our purpose. We should look to the coming of the Lord.